The present invention relates to a cervical collar which is adapted to be sized on or off the patient and be efficiently and properly applied to the neck of a patient under emergency or non-emergency conditions.
Cervical collars are commonly used to restrict the movement of the head and neck of a person who has suffered a neck or spinal injury, and such collars are often applied in the field under emergency conditions so as to permit the extrication of an injured person from an accident site while the upper cervical spine is immobilized.
In instances where the collar is to be applied under emergency conditions, it is important that the collar can be easily applied about the neck of the patient, and adjusted in height to fit the neck of the patient, without risk of further injury or trauma. Several prior collar designs have been proposed to achieve these functions, including those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,520,619 and 5,593,382.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved cervical collar of the described type, and which can be easily applied to an injured person under emergency conditions, and readily sized to the patient either before or after it has been applied.
It is a more particular object of the present invention to provide a cervical collar which is readily adjustable to the neck size of the patient under emergency conditions and so as to be infinitely adjustable to any position between the shortest and longest neck sizes.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a cervical collar that provides full and proper support to the patient once it is applied, and which is able to effectively immobilize the upper cervical spine of an injured person.